Devices to launch or shoot soft balls are known in the toy art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,794 to Moorman discloses a compressible ball launcher that uses compressed air to launch a ball from the end of a tube. The ball is held loosely at the end of the tube. A plunger in the tube is depressed by the user, compressing the air in the tube. The compressed air drives the ball from the tube, accompanied by a loud popping sound, improving the play experience.
The construction disclosed in the '794 patent utilizes a soft compressible closed cell foam ball that is loaded into the front of the shooting tube and is retained between two neck-like constrictions. The plunger is then retracted, drawing air into the shooting tube as the ball is also drawn rearwardly to rest against the rear neck. The plunger is then forced quickly back into the tube, compressing the air within the tube. This moves the ball forward towards the forward neck. The compressibility of the ball seals the ball against the neck as pressure inside the tube is increased as the plunger continues is travel within the tube, until the increasing pressure against the ball is sufficient to compress and distort the ball so that it can pass the neck constriction and shoot from the tube. The rapid passage of the ball past the neck constriction is accompanied by a loud “popping” sound, as the compressed air is vented from the front of the tube.
The above construction relies solely upon the compressibility of the foam to form and maintain an air-tight seal with the forward neck constriction as pressure is built up in the tube. Since the ball must first lodge against the front neck by the increasing tube pressure, some air leaks from the front of the tube as the piston is depressed and before the ball sufficiently seats against the front neck to form the needed airtight seal.
It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide an improved ball launcher device that utilizes compressed air that allows an effective seal to be maintained at all times between the ball to be launched and the tube launcher.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a ball launcher of the aforementioned type that uses solid, rather than foam, balls.
Yet a further purpose of the present invention is to provide a ball launcher in which the ball is held securely in place during the pressurization of the tube to avoid air loss.